Metallica/Toronto Canada Nov 29 2016

Metallica! You have to hand it to them as they know how to do things right!

Case in point…For the promo tour of their  fantastic Hardwired…To Self Destruct  Metallica played  a few cities world-wide promoting said release and as per Metallica protocol they record all their live shows and a few days later are offered on there website for sale.

What a great idea and you know with them putting out live product they cannot  go the KISS route and monkey around with the performances in the studio! Plus doing it this way you know Metallica is bring ing their A Game every night!

Metallica rolled into Toronto on November 29th 2016 and played at the Opera House and once it was added to their website for $10.95 Canadian it was a no brainer add to my collection!

We already know these guys….

James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
Robert Trujillo – bass, backing vocals
Lars Ulrich – drums

MetallaTrackz…

Breadfan
Creeping Death
Battery
Sad But True
Fade to Black
Atlas, Rise!
Harvester of Sorrow
Moth Into Flame
One
Master of Puppets
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Enter Sandman
Whiskey in the Jar
Hardwired
Seek & Destroy

Crazy that these dudes are in there early 50’s and are playing at such a high level. It boggles my mind as since about 1991 I have read garbage that Lars has lost a step in his drumming? Umm….WTF??! Listen to Battery. Losing a step? Whatever…the furiousness that they play Battery just boggles whats left of my Torn and Frayed Mind!

James Hetfield plays super-duper rhythm guitar  and has become a great frontman/singer. Crazy that I like Metallica more now in 2016 than I did back in 1986! James with his stage banter calling it Oprah’s House gets a few chuckles along with telling the crowd to help him with he lyrics as he’s still  trying to remember them.

They have progressed from album to album but yet never forget the roots of their past as they always feature at least a couple of tracks from there earlier recorded works along with cover songs like Breadfan and wickedly awesome version of Whiskey In the Jar. Metallica fuses it up like a Metallica Irish Jig!

I posted below the video Fade To Black from the  actual show. This song still blows my mind as they were writing this stuff back in there early 20’s…. Love it at the 4 minute 40 mark when James shifts gears and the song just roars into another whole direction! Kudos to Kirk for the real slick lead he peels off at the end!

Props has to be given to guitarist Kirk Hammmett who during the guitar solo starts off with a tribute to Toronto act Rush by incorporating the beginning of Rush’s Working Man at the start of his solo and bookending it with Working Man. A real cool solo and the fact that he keeps it under 2 minutes is a bonus so it doesn’t become a total 6 String Wank Fest!

Robert Trujillo lays down some serious bottom end on the bass and locks in a real cool groove especially that crazy assed bass ripping at the beginning of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Right before One is played Robert even lays done a real cool Bass solo thats not all flash but has some real cool intricate playing.

Lars man is simply classic. Classic drumming and his end of the set yammering into the mic is always classic as he talks about playing “Toronto back in 1985 at the Concert Hall than onto Maple Leaf Gardens and the ACC and also at the Fuck Off Dome or whatever its    called.” Haha…

The new song’s played that night in T.0  like Atlas Rise!, Moth Into A Flame  and Hardwired come across real good. IF these guys put out a live album of just this album played front to back I would purchase  it as well! No questions  asked!

Make no mistake this set and I’m sure the other live sets that are available for purchase are awesome performances. What you hear is what you get!

Also since it was  recorded in Toronto it has some  CanCon to keep reader HMO happy!